Considering Our Fruitfulness /  by

Hello CMF,

Skip Tobin (US Ministries Director with Virginia Mennonite Missions) contributed to our current Seven Signs of Life sermons series with Reproduction: Multiplying Life, Creating the Future. 

Listen to me recap and give some additional thoughts, along with the questions below. Please take some time to personally evaluate your own fruitfulness, and that of our church.

Questions for us to consider when reflecting on our own fruitfulness:

  1. What kind of fruit are we after as a church (mission & vision)? What might that fruit look like? If you want potatoes, you don’t go looking in the trees! So, what are we after? What needs to be done to focus on that fruit? How is our church gifted (unique) and are we using those gifts as tools to connect with our neighbors—inviting others into Christ and the mission of our church?
     
  2. So, how might we plan (be intentional) toward acquiring this fruit? Is this reflected in our ministry efforts? What about our giving and our church budget (financial mission)? Are we passing on what God has invested in us, individually and corporately? 
     
  3. Skip said that we are “pregnant” with Kingdom possibilities. It’s been put into our DNA to reach out and multiply. God brings the growth, but multiplication is a mindset! We should bring people to Christ expecting that they too will bring people to Christ. We should start a small group in hopes of starting another group, even out of that group. We begin a church with intentions of planting another church.  Be honest, is this always the mindset among Christians? What about within CMF at the present time?
     
  4. Skip said that fruit needs to be tested. How can we test the fruit? In other words, what does God want to “prune” off of our lives, and our church, so that we can be more fruitful? He said that sometimes we need to say “No!” to some good things to make room for healthy growth. What else might we need?
     
  5. How can you personally contribute and be a catalyst for healthy change and growth? What needs pruning? What mindset(s) need to change? Where can you serve? What is God saying to you? And what are you going to do about it?


Blessings,
Pastor David

The Original Mission of Christiansburg Mennonite /  by

Hello CMF,

I wanted to share some historical insight into our church, and ask that you would be intentional in praying for CMF in the days ahead. We are seeking to make a deeper connection with people living in Christiansburg, as well as the rest of the New River Valley metro area.

Did you know that our church is only 32 years old?

Our church began as a church planting effort of Central District within the Virginia Mennonite Conference. Leaders within the churches of our district came together in a missional effort to establish an Anabaptist expression of the church in NRV, particularly in Christiansburg.

In the "Fifty Year History of Central District (1963-2013)" presented by Glendon Blosser, a founding leader of our church, it is reported that CMF was planted in Christiansburg due to its central location, so that it wouldn't be a church only for the college (transient) community.

Take a look at the original mission stated in the first outreach handout.

The first service for Christiansburg Mennonite "Church" was held on October 3, 1982. The main objective was to reach the "unchurched" of Christiansburg and the surrounding area. 

Who are the "unchurched" among us? Here is a common understanding from the web:

"Unchurched" means, in the broad sense, people who are not connected with a church. In research on religious participation, it refers more specifically to people who do not attend worship services. The Barna Group defines the term to mean "an adult (18 or older) who has not attended a Christian church service within the past six months" excluding special services such as Easter, Christmas, weddings or funerals. Barna reports that there were 75 million "unchurched people" in the United States as of 2004.

The unchurched around us could include local people who do not know Christ and people who have left the church for numerous reasons (bad experiences, change in theology, looking for something that connects and is more relevant to them, etc.).

As we said in the first message of our current sermon series, God calls healthy disciples and churches to "move" and grow in our relationship with him and in Christ's mission to others.

Brothers and sisters, this has been on my heart. I believe God wants us to (re)embrace this original mission of CMF to connect with our community for the sake of the gospel. How can we reach out to our neighbors and begin making our presence known in our city? Lord, give us vision for this.

What needs to happen for you (us) to faithfully move toward this glorious end?

Please pray for our church as we seek to respond to God's call on us in the months ahead. 

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."  Paul, Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

For His Glory,
Pastor David

New Sermon Series: Seven Signs of Life /  by

Hello CMF,

I want to introduce our upcoming sermon series to you. It's called Seven Signs of Life.

In biology we learn that there are seven processes of life that identify all living organisms. We could also view these as “signposts” to a healthy living organism.

We're going to use these seven signs as a diagnostic tool for assessing your own spiritual health as a disciple, as well as the overall health of our church.

This series looks at the seven signs of life in the Kingdom of God.

  1. Movement: Prove You’re Not Dead
  2. Respiration: Breathing God’s Breath
  3. Sensitivity: Our Spiritual Awareness
  4. Growth: The Inevitable Result of Healthy Life
  5. Reproduction: Multiplying Life, Creating the Future
  6. Excretion: Getting Rid of the Junk
  7. Nutrition: A Diet That Makes a Difference

Along the way we're going to be asking questions like: Is this an area in my life that needs the Spirit to bring fresh vitality? Is this an area in our church where we need to give attention? What is God saying to me about these seven signs? Where can I use his healing touch?

This new sermon series will have its full effect by you intentionally self-assessing where you are in your journey with the Lord, and where we are corporately as a church.

I'm looking forward to the outcome that God can bring in us and our church.

Finally, here is a brief summary and focus of this Sunday's message:

Movement is an indication of life and usually occurs in response to stimuli. Animals move quickly when stimulated by an outer (danger) or inner (hunger) force. Plants exhibit movement through growth, so the effect is sometimes slow and hard to detect. Nevertheless, all living things move. Like the children of Israel after leaving Egypt, we often want to stand still instead of move into the unknown. But the alive disciple is always on the move, and so is the organic church. In this message, we will begin our spiritual assessment by considering whether we’re moving with the Spirit or trying to stand still in our faith. Only in movement can we prove that we’re not dead.

See you on Sunday!

Blessings,
Pastor David